Every Woman Has a Bad Boy Phase
by thestagedplayer
Summary: Silver has an ordeal in her theater involving William Stryker, an old family friend... Just R&R! and be nice...my first!
1. Chapter 1

Note: I use this character a lot when I write fanfic. Her name is Silver Jo Hampton. She's smart, with a double master's in biology and theater. Her father is very rich, in the earlier ones, he's alive but very sick with cancer, he dies when she is 23. In the later ones, he's dead and leaves his estate to his son, and Silver's older brother, Jimmy. But, a large portion of his money goes to Silver, where she buys her second to sixth theater in various places in Europe and finally New York. She has gray blue eyes, perfect white skin, and almost waist length silvery-blonde hair. Many of her admirers say that is her best feature. Throughout the stories, she's between 19 and 27. In this one, she's 25. She's well into her 3rd show at the New York theater when this story takes place.

Prologue:

"You can't touch me. I'm human." I said, pressing my back against a wall, backing away from him.  
"What perfume are you wearing sweetheart? You smell good enough to eat." He replied, grinning.  
"Stay back mutant!" I cried, covering my face with my hands.  
"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to know something." He said, suddenly the animalistic grin gone. I peeked out from behind my fingers.  
"Sure…anything. Just don't hurt me."  
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're probably wondering why a strange mutant man has me backed against a wall in a New York City alley. Well, I'll tell you.

Chapter 1:

The show was one that I had written. There was two weeks left in shows and everything was going smoothly. That night, however, we had an altercation in the theater. A generous season ticket holder since my first season and old friend of my father's, William Stryker, was attacked by the man whom he had brought as a guest. The season tickets were for the upper stage left balcony, as always. The show, needless to say took an early intermission while both men were escorted off the premises bruised and battered. I stepped outside to assess the situation.  
"Silver, your hair shines too brightly for my eyes to take. Sorry for ruining your show." Stryker said, a paramedic cleaning a cut on his cheek.  
"Oh, don't worry Mr. Stryker. I need some excitement in my life. And my actor's lives. But I'm sorry that man hit you." I replied, smiling.  
Oh, he's an old friend of mine. A mutant, actually. Cunning man." He said, grinning.  
"A mutant? Really?" I asked, on edge. Every human was afraid of mutants. Most humans simply thought them unnatural. Most of them thought us to be outmodes. It was a common persecution and fear. On both sides.  
"No need to worry, Silver. He's looking for someone. And he thinks I know where he is." The paramedic finished her work and allowed him to stand.  
"Is he dangerous?" I asked, twiddling my fingers with worry. Stryker sighed.  
"He can be. He's got more than one mutation. And, he's a real animal. Very scary when he gets angry, Silver. Unpredictable. He'll do whatever pops into his head because he can. One minute, he'll be out for blood, the next he's as cuddly as a lamb." He said, wincing at his smile.  
"I wouldn't want this guy after one of my most faithful and favorite clients." I said, worried.  
"Don't worry, Silver. I can handle Logan. I can handle his brother too." Stryker said, taking my hand fondly.  
"What? He has a brother, too?" I cried. He nodded.  
"Victor. Victor is his brother. James--or as Victor calls him--Jim my, is Logan's actual first name. But since I've met him, he's gone by Logan. Don't worry, mutants are harmless. If you know how to handle them. And they're easy to handle." He replied, still smiling. Penny, my sweet, ginger haired stage manager/personal assistant called my name. I looked over my shoulder.  
"I have to go, Mr. Stryker. My stage manager is calling." I said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. He squeezed my hand and watched me leave. The fear in my mind was intense. Mutants scared me. They scared everyone. I had never actually met one, at least, not an obvious one. I was so afraid of this man, this Logan, and for William. Would he kill William, this Logan?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I walked down an alleyway after the show ended to get to a busier street to hail a cab. I felt so nervous doing it, but I had to. My apartment was waiting. And the food in my fridge. I was all caught up in thoughts when I heard a deep manly voice behind me. "You're Silver Hampton, aren't you sweetheart?" I froze. The strange voice and the tone sent shivers down my spine.  
"Yes. I'm Silver. Can I help you?" I asked, turning around.  
"I was curious about something. How well do you know Stry-"  
"Who are you?" I asked, afraid.  
"I was at the show tonight." He replied calmly.  
"That doesn't answer my question." I said, raising my hand.  
"Look, Toots, I don't want to hurt such a fine bred lady--" He started. Out of pure fear and anger I threw my expensively manicured fingernails out and scratched his cheek. His face turned away from me from the force. Two little cuts on his cheek dribbled blood. He turned his face back towards me. The cuts closed back over. My eyes grew wide.

"You're…You're a mutant." I breathed, petrified. He took another step towards me.

"Alright Princess, you've messed with the wrong man." He said through gritted teeth. His big hands lashed out and wrapped tightly around my wrists.

"Let go. Please. Let me go." I whispered, wide-eyed. After a few minutes of watching me choke up with tears, he released my wrists and pushed me away. An animal-like grin spread across his face.

"You're beautiful, you know." He said, taking a step closer.

"What do you want from me?" I whimpered, backing up towards the wall.

"What every man wants, Sweetheart." He was…attractive. With dark hair and almost black eyes. But, he was so terrifying that I couldn't think of anything else but defending myself. He was strong, muscular, and mysterious. The shadows of his hard-packed body shone under his white t-shirt and black pinstriped trousers. There was something about him that was…primal. Animalistic. Like he would be the type to bite you hard enough to bleed and then kiss it better.

"You can't touch me. I'm human." I said, pressing my back against the wall, backing away from him.

"What perfume are you wearing, Sweetheart? You smell good enough to eat." He replied, grinning.

"Stay back, mutant!" I cried, covering my face with my hands.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to know something." He said, suddenly the animalistic grin gone. I peeked out from behind my fingers.

"Sure…anything. Just don't hurt me." I said, tears running down my face and sinking to the ground.

"How well do you know William Stryker?" He asked.

"H-He's a friend of my father's, originally. Buys season tickets every year. Sees all of my shows. Works for the government." I replied, curious about his question.

"Answer me this. Do you know about his work with mutants?" He asked.

"What does your kind have to do with William Stryker?" I shot back. His eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry." I muttered quickly.

"For one, William Stryker did this to me." He said, raising his hands. Six shining silver claws about eighteen inches long showed up from between his fingers. My eyes widened with fear and shock.

"My name is Silver." I said blankly, unable to think of anything else. The claws receded into his hands.

"My name is Logan." He replied, extending his hand towards me. I took it. He pulled me off the ground. His soft black eyes stared into mine. I looked away and pulled my hand from his.

"Logan." I started, but I realized saying his name felt strange. "Sir, what do you what with Mr. Stryker?"

"I want to find my brother, Victor. And I know Stryker likes to see your shows. He used to drag us to them all the time when we were in Europe. I surprised him tonight by showing up. I needed to get my brother's location from Stryker because I need to find him and stop him." He said, turning away.

"You are dangerous." I breathed, still afraid.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Princess." He said darkly. I threw out my hand in reflex. His large, strong hand caught my wrist.

"Let me go." I fought, struggling and pulling against him. He wrapped and arm around my waist and held me close to him. He smelled like the woods, cheap beer, Cuban cigars, and expensive cologne.

"You're going to come with me. You'll draw him right to me. He can't resist a pretty face." He said, leading me down the alley. He pressed his fist into my side. "Scream and it's the last thing you ever do."

"You're an animal." I spat. "I could kill you, mutant." He laughed at me.

"Try it, Sweetheart. I would pay you to kill me." He replied, grinning. We stopped in front of a bike with a black jacket over the handlebars. The bike itself was a beautiful '64 black Harley fat boy. "Get on." He ordered, pointing to the bike and pushing me away from him.

"Those are so dangerous. I won't. We'll get killed. And I would never ride with you." I said, crossing my arms.

"You have three seconds to get on the damn bike or I'm putting you on the bike myself." He barked. I stood still. My tight black dress fluttered around my knees with the gentle breeze. He shrugged and muttered, "You asked for it," before stepping over to me.

"D-d-do-don't you touch me." I stammered, putting my hands on his shoulders to hold him back, but he was too strong. He picked me up around my waist with one arm as I squealed and my dress fluttered up around my thighs. Plopping me down on the back of the bike, he got on too and started it up. I tried to slide backwards off of it, but he took off. I was so afraid I threw my arms around his waist.

"Hold on, Princess. This bike goes a lot faster." He said, turning to face me. I hung on tighter.

"You crazy animal!" I called, more scared than I had ever been before.

"You can get me the only thing I want in this world. My brother."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We showed up in a little town in Pennsylvania a day and a half later, stopping twice for gas and a place in the woods to sleep. Wherever we were, I was told to be his girlfriend. When we reached the little town, we stopped in a second hand clothes shop. It was a chilly morning, so I had pulled his jacket tighter around me. He held my hand and walked in the store. "Well, it looks like you two had a rough night." The young girl said from behind the counter. I wanted to smack her.

"Spur of the moment vacation." Logan said, smiling. "We'll need some clothes." He led me around the store letting me choose three shirts, a jacket and two pairs of jeans. He picked three shirts and two pairs of jeans, too. He shocked me by being charming and sweet to the girl, paying in cash for the clothes, carrying the bags, holding the door open for me and letting the cashier keep the change.

"Why are we here?" I asked as we cruised down the street.

"We're visiting an old friend of mine. Actually a couple old friends. So you will behave." Logan finished crossly. He was so angry. I knew something had happened to him to mess him up. Probably war. Of the little time he slept, he woke up panting and sweating at least twice. It scared me, but he slept with his arm around my waist. He scared me more than anything else, but for some reason, I felt so safe with him.

We stayed at a little motel, paying in cash for two nights. I took a shower first, and put on some of the clothes that Logan bought. The comfortable skinny jeans and flannel shirt actually matched my black heels. I rolled up the sleeves on my shirt and left it unbuttoned, revealing a lacy black bra underneath and making my white skin look whiter. I didn't want to fight with my tangled, curly mess of silvery blonde hair, so I just pulled it up in a messy pony tail. I was so mad I forgot my make-up at the theater in my purse with everything else. I was leaning into the mirror to put moisturizer on my face when Logan leaned on the door frame. "Your hair's a mess." He pointed out.

"Thank you, Logan. I can see that." I said icily, slamming my hands down on the counter, forgetting my shirt was unbuttoned.

"Hey, don't snap at me, just wanted to help." He replied, crossing his arms.

"Unless you're gonna brush this mess out for me, I don't want your help." I snapped, touching my ponytail.

"I'd like to clean up too, Sweetheart." He said, removing his dirty white t-shirt. "So, unless you want to see more, get out." He reached down to start unbuckling his belt.

"You wouldn't dare." I breathed, narrowing my eyes. He pulled off his belt.

"Nice bra. Does the downstairs match?" He asked, finally acknowledging my black bra. I threw the flannel off.

"Yeah, it does. Wanna see?" I asked, unbuttoning my pants. He took a step closer.

"If you're offering…"

"You get away from me, Logan." I said, sitting on the counter and putting my feet up to stop him.

"Alright, Silver. No need to overreact. Calm down. I'm not going to touch you. Just leave. Stay in the room while I shower. Then I'll brush your hair or whatever." He said waving his hand around. He had a silver chain around his neck with plates on the end. Dog tags. He had dog tags swinging around his neck and down his bare, tanned and muscled chest. I was right, he had served.

"Fine." I said, stepping down from the counter. I snatched the flannel, my shoes, and my dirty dress from the floor. And I caught him looking at my ass. Flopping down on the bed, I considered my options. I thought about taking the bike and going home to my apartment on Long Island. But I didn't know how to drive the bike. I thought about running and telling someone I was kind of kidnapped, but it didn't feel right. I just didn't want to go anywhere. Logan may be rude, angry, violent, impulsive, unfeeling, immature, dangerous, and downright scary. But he was also…gentle, in some odd way. He and I both knew he wouldn't hurt me intentionally. He was also so…safe. I knew if anyone laid a finger on me he would go crazy. It was like he loved me. He protected me. He gave me his jacket so I wouldn't freeze. But he still scared the hell out of me. While thinking I drifted off to sleep. I dreamt about him. About his dashing smile, and warm, solid body. His black eyes. Him, holding my hand and touching my hair.

And then, finally, allowing him to make advances on me. But my dream was cut short. My eyes fluttered open and there he stood, in clean, dark jeans and a blue t-shirt under a plaid flannel, looking at me. "What were you dreaming about? You look like you were having a blast." He said, opening a beer.

"None of your business." I muttered, blushing.

"Don't worry, Sweetheart, I'm sure your boyfriend misses you, too." He said, turning away.

"I don't have a boyfriend." I said quietly.

"No boyfriend? Hmmm…such a smart and beautiful woman should be getting her pick of the litter, not settling. Stryker barely shut up about you." He replied.

"What does William say about me?" I asked, not happy.

"He says you have two bachelor's degrees. Theater and biology. He says he's been to all of your theaters. He even dragged us to Hamlet in London and Peter Pan in Madrid for the grand openings. Excellent casting, by the way. Wendy and Ophelia were lovely." Logan said. I flushed.

"I always cast myself in the theater's first show. I was Wendy and Ophelia." I replied. Logan laughed.

"Knew something was familiar about your voice. You wore wigs and different clothes though." He pointed out, sipping on his beer.

"My hair is too bright to be onstage usually. It just reflects." I replied. I grabbed a brush from the bathroom drawer and pulled the ponytail holder out of my hair. I started to pull at the dried, tangled mess. Logan walked over to me and took the brush out my hand.

"A promise is a promise." He sighed, starting to brush it out. It was like he _couldn't_ hurt me. I could hear him pulling the rats out of my hair and feel his fingers running through it. It took him fifteen minutes to be satisfied with my glorious shining hair. Then, he surprised me by braiding it down my back.

"How do you know how to braid?" I asked, realizing once more my flannel was unbuttoned.

"I've been in relationships. My fiancé taught me." He said sadly, sitting on the other side of the bed, his back to me. I twiddled my fingers.

"What happened to her?" I asked softly. His eyes flicked over his shoulder.

"She's dead." He said simply.

"I'm…I'm so sorry, Logan. Having someone leave you so suddenly is…really hard." I said, kneeling behind him.

"Come on, We have places to go." He said, standing hastily.

"Okay." I replied sadly, sighing and slipping into my shoes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

About a half an hour later, the bike stopped outside a gym. "Stay close." He said, starting towards the door. We walked in together, then straight through the gym to the back where there was a boxing ring. In the ring was the largest, fattest man I had ever seen. He smiled at me. Another man saw us and walked over, closing the door to the ring off to us.

"Logan?" The second man asked, his eyes widening with fear. "What are you doing here?" I moved behind Logan's shoulder.

"I'm looking for Victor. Was curious if you and Fred had seen him." Logan said, shrugging arrogantly.

"No, w-we haven't seen Victor since the team broke up. Who's your friend?" The man asked. I wrapped my hands around Logan's forearm. He was another mutant. Another dangerous mutant. And I was afraid.

"This is Silver Hampton. She's going to help me find Victor." Logan said defensively, wrapping his other arm around my waist and pulling me across to his other side, holding me close to him.

"Oh! Miss Hampton. Stryker told us all about you. You were Wendy in Peter Pan in Madrid, weren't you?" The man asked, winking at me.

"Yes. I own that theater. And the one in London, New York, Paris, Berlin—"

"Logan's new squeeze." The man cut me off. "You picked a nice one, once again. I don't know how such good, beautiful women like Kayla put up with you. Heard about Victor offing her a couple weeks ago. Moved on to another sweet thing real quick, huh?" Then man finished, laughing. He closed his eyes and threw his head back to laugh harder. Logan's hands balled into fists and his heart began to race. I felt—for the first time in…a long time—rage. Before I could do anything to stop myself, my right hand balled into a fist and swung out into a perfect right hook, landing square on his jaw. The man stopped laughing and took a couple steps back.

"I. Am not. Logan's. _Squeeze_." I spat fiercely, shaking with anger. It was Logan's turn to laugh. His hands relaxed and he took my hand to pull me over to him.

"I was going to hit you, but it looks like she took care of it for me." Logan said. The man rubbed his jaw and shook his shoulders around.

"Nice hit for a human girl. You sure know how to pick 'em, Logan." The man said. I was still so angry that Logan had to wrap his arm around my waist to stop from leaping on him. Logan pulled me out of the gym and out to the bike.

"Damn, I didn't know there was that much fire in there. Take is easy, Sweetheart." He said, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Let's go. And don't touch me." I spat, backing away.

"We have people to see. I still need to talk to Fred. Be right back." He said, touching my shoulder and re-entering the gym. I sat heavily on the back of the bike and crossed my arms. I muttered to myself about disrespect and sexism and jumping to conclusions and chivalry and men. By the time Logan walked back out cracking his knuckles, I had calmed down enough to speak without wanting to tear someone's head off.

"Where to next, Logan?" I asked softly as he started the bike.

"We're going to go back to the room to spend the night. Tomorrow we'll sleep in and go see Johnny. Then, depending on what Johnny says, we'll either go back to the room and stay the second night or check out and be on our way. But if we stay both nights, we go to Gettysburg. Victor would be in Gettysburg. Ever since…never mind." He trailed off. I knew better than to press him.

"I haven't eaten in three days, Logan." I said, realizing my empty stomach growling. He flicked his eyes over his shoulder, inches from my face.

We turned into a small diner across the street from the little motel we were staying at. He was quiet all through dinner, sipping a beer and picking at my fries as I—as ladylike as possible—wolfed down a burger. He handed the waitress the cash and left. I wasn't finished. I was sitting in the booth alone. Shortly before Logan left, the door's bell rang and a man in a dark jacket sat at the bar, making the slow night not so slow. "Logan?" I asked to no one, turning to hear the bike rev up a couple minutes after he left. The man from the bar walked over and slid into my booth with a beer.

"Jimmy's gone, Sweetheart." He said, taking a swig.

"Who?" I asked, stirring my free sundae around moodily.

"Oh, that's right. He's calling himself 'Logan' now." The stranger said, rolling his eyes.

"How do you know Logan?" I asked, pushing the ice cream away.

"First a burger, then ice cream? You're not Jimmy's type." He said, pushing Logan's unfinished beer towards me. I took a swig from it.

"I asked you a question." I said, my eyes narrowing. The stranger grinned. He had fangs.

"Jimmy is my brother. Well, half-brother, actually. And he sure knows how to pick beautiful women." He replied, softly touching my cheekbone. He had sharp, catlike claws.

"Then…You're Victor." I breathed, my voice shaking.

"So he told you about me?" He laughed, his teeth glinting.

"And William Stryker told you about me. I'm Silver Hampton." I said, partially regaining composure.

"Oh yeah. The actress. Wendy in Madrid. Shame you weren't an Indian, I wanted to see more of your beautiful pearly white skin." He cooed, running the tops of his fingers down my neck.

I stood up and slid out of the booth. "Don't you touch me."

"What's your hurry, Sweetheart? The fun is just beginning." He grinned, sliding out of the booth.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you Leah, so much for helping me out. And, just btw, Silver has no mutation. ^_^ I thought about it, but it really doesn't work for me and future stories, because mutations are permanent. ;)

Chapter 5

Victor slid out of the booth. Before I could react, he snatched my wrist with one hand and my waist with the other. He led me outside.

"Get your hands off me!" I barked, once outside, swinging my beautifully manicured nails around on him. Two scratches got into his neck, and oozed a little blood. Just like the scratches on Logan's cheek, Victor's cuts closed over seamlessly.

"Fiery. I like that in a woman." He said, pulling me closer to him.

"Logan is going to get you. He won't let you hurt me. Get your mutant hands off me!" I cried, One of Victor's hands moving from around my waist towards my chest.

"Jimmy's not strong enough to hurt me. So I'll do what I want with you, Princess." Victor put his face in my hair.

"Let her go, Victor." Logan said, the shining blades from between his fingers drawn and ready.

"Come any closer, Jimmy, and I'll kill her." Victor replied, his claws flexed and softly running down my neck. I shivered, tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

"This is between you and me. Let he girl go." Logan insisted, taking a step closer and getting angry.

"Logan, don't worry about me." I called out to him, feeling terror in every molecule of my body.

"You're brave, too? Ten points to you, Sweetheart." Victor cooed menacingly, touching my hair.

"This stand-off isn't getting us anywhere, Victor!" Logan yelled. Victor's hot breath on my neck terrified me even more. His nose nuzzled my cheek. I choked down a scream.

Logan leaped into the air and Victor threw me to the ground, leaping to meet him. I screamed both of their names and for them to stop it as they fought. Finally, I kicked off my shoes and threw down my jacket and ran.

I skidded to a halt in between the fighting brothers. Logan's claws were millimeters from under my chin. But he had stopped himself, panting and sweating. Victor didn't have the same self-control. Five deep, bleeding claw marks slashed my back to ribbons. My hands immediately grabbed Logan's shoulders. "Stupid girl!" Victor barked, panting, before disappearing. Logan's blades disappeared in a heartbeat.

"Silver? Silver, stay with me." He said, his voice filled with worry. I collapsed into his arms.

"Fighting is stupid. Especially over stupid things like revenge." I said, my breath getting short.

"I'm gonna get you outta here." Logan said, pulling me up into his arms.

"But my shoes, and my jacket. They're over there." I pointed fifteen yards away to the spot they lay.

"You're gonna die if we don't get you some help. Your shoes can wait." Logan ordered. I grabbed his jacket and looked at him fiercely.

"I spent a hundred and fifty dollars on those shoes. I am not leaving them. I'll die first." I said, my voice starting to shake.

"Sorry, Silver. But time is of the essence." He said, starting to walk across the street towards the motel. I held on to his jacket fiercely.

"Logan. I'm cold." I breathed, tears running down my face. And then, my head slumped against his chest and all was black.

I dreamt about a meadow. The soft, golden light of dusk surrounded me and the rest of the area. I was alone, in the same jeans and flannel I had gone out in. I sat up from lying in the soft dewy grass and looked around. My mother, who had died when I was 13, was sitting in front of me, wearing a tightly cinched cream and gold Victorian dress. Her shirt was thrown out behind her spread around gently on top of the grass. She and I had the exact same figure and skin tone. Her eyes were brown, and her hair dark brown also. Just like my father and brother. "Silver." Her voice was like honey. It always had been.

"Mom?" I asked. She smiled and nodded. "Am…Am I dead?" I continued. Her hair was swept up in a beautiful updo with her perfect spiral curls flowing down her back. A thin gold band wound around her head. She looked beautiful, even more so than I remembered. She shook her head, her curls bouncing merrily.

"No." She replied. "You are here because you're almost dead."

"Am I going to die?" I asked, slightly afraid.

"That doesn't depend on me. That depends on Logan." She said. I was curious. What could he possibly do to save me? He doesn't even like me. And I don't necessarily _love_ him. One tolerated the other with mild annoyance. My mother stood gracefully. "Come, we will walk and I will show you."

"What?" I asked, standing next to her. She took my arm and started to walk gracefully. Her small, bare feet made no sound on the grass. We walked in silence until we walked over a hill. In the bottom of a hill was…

Me.

I gasped. It was me, on my stomach with my eyes closed, the five claw marks jagged and sputtering blood. The grass under my body was saturated with the crimson life force. My eyes were closed. I wasn't breathing. My body wasn't breathing. "Mom…?" I was in awe. The meadow started to fade.

"You have to trust him. He will save you if you trust him. Lack of faith will bring you here." My mother's voice said; she started to become fuzzy. The last thing I remember is her pointing to my body in the bottom of the valley.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: sexy chapter. Possibly pushing the T rating. But the worst thing that it says is "breast" so…just to be sure. Warned!  check your PM's a certain reader... .

Chapter 6

"Nice to see you've joined the land of the living." Logan said, leaning on the door frame of the bathroom. I was naked from my jeans up, lying on my stomach on the bed. It was bright and sunny outside the window.

"How long have I been out?" I asked groggily. My hair was a tousled mess of bed head.

"Sixteen hours. Since eleven or so last night." He said, putting his beer down on the nightstand next to me.

"So it's…one? How is my back looking, Doc?" I asked, snatching up my flannel to cover my chest. I sat up, the skin on my back feeling very tight.

"Like shit. You should have died. But, excuse my next comment, your front looks fantastic." He said, eyeing the skin under my flannel. I blushed. "Sorry. I had to get everything off to clean those cuts up. Pleasant surprise, seeing that rose tattoo on your hip. Nice work. Bet your daddy doesn't know about that." Logan finished, looking at the hem of my jeans.

"My father is dead. My brother lives at the estate now." I said, walking towards the bathroom.

"Sorry to hear that." He replied, offering the beer to me. I took a swig from it.

"How did you doctor me, Logan?" I asked, passing him to go into the bathroom.

"I went back over to Fred's gym after I got the bleeding stopped and grabbed some medical supplies. Needle, thread, antiseptic. Cleaned out the wounds, then stitched them up. Took a long time to clean them out, you never know what's been on Victor's claws." He replied, watching me hold up a mirror to look at my back. The long gashes were, as Logan claimed, stitched up and cleaned.

"Thank you, Logan. For…saving my life." I muttered, unsure of really what to say.

"Don't mention it, Princess. I guess I had almost forgotten that humans get hurt. Oh, and I got your stupid shoes." He said, sitting down on the bed. There my shoes were, next to the door ad my jacket. I smiled and pulled the flannel on—with some difficulty—and pulled a couple of the buttons shut in the middle. Then, I walked back out of the bathroom and sat next to him.

"Was Kayla your fiancé?" I asked quietly, remembering the man from gym say her name. Logan looked away from me. "I'm sorry, Logan. I just…know what it's like to lose someone you truly love. I loved my father. I lost him almost two years ago. And I've…I've lost someone that I wanted to marry too. His name was In-…Henry." I said, remembering the heartache.

"C'mon. Now that I know you're going to live, we can go see Johnny." He tried to stand. I snatched a hold of his jacket.

"I want to spend another night here before we leave. We can go see Johnny or whatever, but I want one more night. One more night to be safe. With you." I confessed, looking into his eyes. His black eyes looked back into mine.

"I don't get it, Princess. You say that I'm dangerous and I'm an animal, yet you say you're safe with me? Can't have both, Toots." He said, shrugging. I pulled his jacket toward me.

"I can't explain it. But you are both. You're dangerous, but I feel safe standing beside you. I don't care how much you loved Kayla. I don't even care if you love me. I think I've kinda fallen in lust with you." I replied, releasing his jacket. He straightened out and flexed his shoulders. After a few minutes of tense silence, he turned to me.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not human. Maybe I'm an animal. But, you're right. I would give my life for the woman I loved. Or in our case, lusted after." He said simply, the corners of his mouth turning up. I put my hands on his shoulders. Neither of us taking our eyes off the other, my hands guided his jacket over shoulders and down his arms. The fabric hit the ground in a soft _whump_ sound. His breath quickened slightly. My heart started to beat faster. My hands ran smoothly down his chest and stomach, stopping at his waist. I carefully put my hands under the hem of his t-shirt, my fingers against his warm skin. I started to push the shirt up slowly over his torso. He just stood there, doing nothing at all, staring into my eyes. Finally, he reacted and allowed me to pull his shirt off. His hands blankly reached for the buttons on my flannel. Both were undone quickly. Finally, he engaged. He guided the flannel over my shoulders and onto the bed. I leaned up to him.

And finally still, after almost three days of putting up with wisecracks and rudeness, and romantic tension, our lips met. I could taste the cheap beer on his breath. Our movements stayed slow, controlled, but heated. I leaned back onto the bed, him on top of me. He kissed my neck, slowly, sweetly, taking his time. I dug my manicured fingernails into his hair as his other hand traveled down my shoulder, onto my breasts. A few moments later, I was lying under him, wearing nothing but the rose tattoo on my hip and the scratches on my back. The sunlight was streaming in over the room, the gentle breeze blowing in the screened window…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A couple hours later I was sitting behind Logan on the roaring bike contented with the smell of his jacket around my shoulders and the muggy afternoon heat. We stopped somewhere much farther north than the motel. We had cleaned out and left the little place, putting our belongings on the bike. The place we stopped was…well I wasn't sure what to call it. A shop or an apartment maybe. Logan helped me off the bike and told me not to speak unless spoken to. I nodded, sneaking a small kiss on his mouth. We walked up to the door and entered. A man sat behind a desk with his feet up and flipping through a book. He looked up at the sound of the door. "Logan. What can I do for you?" He asked, putting the book down and standing.

"Well, I was just going to come down here to ask if you've seen Victor, but there's another problem. Johnny Wraith, this is Silver Hampton—" Logan replied, taking my hand and pulling me around to face Johnny straight.

"Oh yeah. The actress. Wendy from Madrid. Pleased to meet you, Miss." Johnny said, taking my other hand gently and pressing his lips to my fingers. I smiled warmly.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Johnny. This is how a lady should be treated, Logan. Not like that other friend of yours, calling me your _squeeze_." I said to Logan. He rolled his eyes.

"What can I do you for, Miss?" Johnny asked, offering to take Logan's jacket. I winced as I tried to shrug out of it. Johnny walked around behind me and pulled the jacket off. "Oh, Logan is this why?" He continued, pointing to my back. Logan nodded.

"Yeah. Victor surprised us last night. She stepped between the two of us and almost got herself killed. And some…activity this afternoon messed with my stitches. You're a better medic than I am. Can you help us?" Logan asked.

"Logan, I'm fine, nothing is wrong. Sex didn't mess with my back." I said, shutting my mouth as soon as I realized what I had said. Johnny grinned. Logan rubbed his temples.

"Oh, Logan, don't worry about it. If you weren't banging her, I'm sure someone else would be." Johnny said, moving back around his desk.

"Now you wait just a sec—" I started, taking a step towards him. Logan wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me back.

"Fiery, too? Wow, Logan. You picked a pistol." Johnny said, grinning.

"Gonna help us or not, Johnny?" Logan asked, pulling me back to his side. Johnny was silent for a second. Then he stood up and walked over to me.

"Take your shirt off, Honey." He said, bored. I shot him a look.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"I didn't stutter. Take your shirt off." Johnny repeated. I looked to Logan. He inclined his chin down. Slowly and nervously, I reached down and grabbed the bottom hem of my almost plain white t-shirt and pulled it over my head, stopping myself from crying out. The back of my shirt was soaked with blood. The stitches had popped. Logan and Johnny led me over to a bedroom and put me down on my stomach. "We're going to have to pull out your stitches and just sew it shut. The whole cut. Clean them, too. This one looks like it's infected. These look nasty. How are you not dead, girl?" Johnny asked, grabbing some scissors and hydrogen peroxide.

"I probably should be. But Logan saved me. And my shoes." I replied, smiling and squeezing Logan's hand. Logan shook his head.

"You and your damn shoes. Johnny, would you believe she said, 'I would rather die than leave my hundred-and-fifty-dollar shoes behind' while bleeding in my arms?" Logan asked.

"I would believe it. She's the pampered princess type. Now, hold still. I'm gonna start pulling out the stitches. You didn't do anything wrong, Logan. These are just difficult to keep shut." Johnny replied, snipping the stitches. Logan unsnapped my black bra to clear off the rest off my back. The slight discomfort kept me concentrated on the movements of Johnny's hands on my back and Logan's hands touching my fingers and arms. It took Johnny fifteen minutes to pull out all four hundred and twenty seven stitches from my back. "Now, this is probably going to hurt. Are you ready?" Johnny asked, getting ready to clean the cuts. I inhaled deeply and nodded, holding Logan's hand tighter.

A half hour later, and with the tears cleaned off my face, I was finally cleaned up, sewed up, and able to put my shirt back on. Logan led me outside to the bike. He handed me his jacket and kissed my cheek and said, "Stay here a minute. I need to talk to Johnny. I'll be right back." He stepped back inside. A few minutes him and Johnny walked outside together. "We're going to go town. We need to find someone. Are you coming with us or are you gonna go back to the motel?" Logan asked, getting on the bike.

"I'm going to come with. You can't leave me alone!" I barked, setting up behind him.

"I'll meet you guys there." Johnny said, winking. Then, with a small bit of light, he disappeared. I shook my head making I had seen what I thought I had seen.

"Johnny's a teleporter." Logan said simply, revving up the bike and taking off. "If you want, we can get your dress. We're going out." He added.

"I'll buy a new one. I could use a new dress anyways. Just stop at any store and I'll buy one." I replied. Logan shrugged and stopped at a store. I walked inside and came out ten minutes later wearing a tight strapless scarlet dress that hit the ground with a split up to my thigh. I also bought a hair comb and pulled my hair up messily and swept it down my chest. Logan was leaning up against the bike in clean jeans, heavy black combat boots, a red t-shirt and a plaid flannel with his jacket.

"You're a knockout, Princess." He said, after quickly looking me up and down.

"I'd probably look better with some make-up on." I said, blushing and hitching up the dress to get on the bike.

"You don't need any make-up." Logan said, starting up the bike. "And no stockings either? Doesn't that get uncomfortable?" he asked cheekily, grinning over his shoulder.

"Actually I prefer no stockings. Unless it's cold." I replied. "I feel overdressed, Logan." I said, noticing my dress fluttering up around my thighs. His eyes flicked over his shoulder.

"Don't. Where we're going, you may feel underdressed." Logan replied, turning into a club. We walked in together, turning heads the whole way. I actually felt right at home. Except instead of well-lighted ballrooms and concert halls, it was a shady and smoky club. But very well-dressed. I was impressed. Johnny met us at the bar. He took my hand and kissed my fingers again.

"You look lovely. Where did you get a dress like that so fast?" He asked. I ordered a scotch on the rocks. Johnny and Logan looked surprised.

"I stopped at Chanel and grabbed it. First thing I saw that I could pull off." I said, sipping on the glass.

"That's our guy, Logan. His name is Remy LeBeau. He's the best poker dealer I've ever seen." Johnny explained, pointing to the man dealing cards at a table across the room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"What do you want from him?" I asked Logan, not taking my eyes off the dealer.

"We want some information from him." Logan said. I remained silent. "We want to ask him where the Island is and how to get there." He added. I finished my glass and handed it to him.

"I'll be right back." I said mischievously. Logan and Johnny glanced at each other. I hopped off the barstool, smoothed out my dress, plumped up my hair and started to walk—every woman has their signature saunter—across the room. My skin glowed when I passed under the white lights in the club. Heads turned as I walked. I stopped at the poker table and leaned over the edge. "Eez eet too late to join ze game?" I asked with a small French ring in my voice, smiling sweetly. The table, with five men and the dealer sitting around, stared at me. The ranging degrees of trashy woman glared. The dealer nodded. I wiggled my way in between the dealer and the man next to him.

"We're playing Texas Hold 'Em, Sweetheart." The dealer, Remy, said. He sounded unsure if I knew how to play the game.

"Sounds luffly. My name ees Elise. I'm from France." I replied, fiddling with my fingers.

"You have to put money in, Sweetheart." One of the woman barked. I laughed modestly.

"'Ow silly of me. Ees this enough?" I asked, throwing out a couple Benjamins. The dealer's eyes got wide.

"Oh-oh yeah! That's perfect." He said. I smiled. The dealer was flashy and pompous. I won three hundred dollars in three hands. I knew the dealer was letting me win. Slowly, the men around the table began to leave. After I had over a thousand dollars in my lap, it was just down to me and the dealer. I giggled.

"You 'ave been letting me win, Monsieur." I said, pouting modestly.

"No, no." He assured me. "I was just dealing out the cards." He actually wasn't bad looking. Very dark. Longer dark brown hair, sunken eyes, pale skin. I took one of the hundred dollar bills and placed it carefully in his hand, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"Zat is for letting me win. Zis—" I took another bill and pressed it into his hand, "Ees asking eef I can ask of you a question." I said innocently, kissing his ear softly. His eyes closed and a shiver went down his spine. His hand slipped subtly around my waist. I wrapped one of my hands up across his chest and up to his neck.

"Sure. Anything, Beautiful." He replied, his voice shaking. I smiled and pressed my lips against his neck.

"Vere can I find ze Island?" I breathed, kissing his neck.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, Baby. Including Three-Mile Island." The dealer replied dreamily. I pressed another hundred in his hand and slid away from him.

"I'll be right back. Don't you move." I said, pressing my lips against his cheek. I strode back across the room and sat on the barstool in between Logan and Johnny. "Whatever you're looking for is probably on Three-Mile Island." I said, returning to my normal voice. Both of their jaws dropped. "Oh. And I almost forgot." I handed Logan the seven hundred dollars. "Here's a little consolation prize." Johnny eyed the money with shock. Logan shut his mouth and looked very cross.

"How did you—" Johnny started.

"I did nothing. Elise from France did all the work." I cut in, winking innocently.

"That was wrong, you know." Logan muttered. "Seducing those men out of their money."

"Oh stop it. I got what you wanted. Anything else you guys want?" I asked. "I didn't do anything I wouldn't have done normally, except pretend to be French. And the money was all him." I added. Logan stood up and stomped heavily over to the dazed card dealer. Johnny got up nervously, quickly said good-bye and left. Logan grabbed the dealer by the front of his black suit and pulled him over the table. I downed another scotch. The bartender handed me another drink, winking and saying it was on the house. I smiled and thanked him, watching Logan intently. He was talking to the dealer very aggressively. Then he and the dealer looked over at me. Logan's mouth was moving, then the dealer's was. Logan, after a deep breath, dropped the dealer and turned around. The dealer picked up the deck of cards and started playing with them.

Then, the top card flew at Logan, and exploded.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The patrons of the club began to scream and run around, panicking with the sounds of the tiny explosions. Logan ducked the exploding cards and slinked his way over to me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and ran out of the club. The club emptied quickly. Another scream could be heard from an alley behind the club. Logan and I looked at each other. That was the way Johnny had gone out. He and I ran around to the back alley, where Johnny was standing, which Victor's hand and forearm…_inside his stomach._ "I can feel your spine, Johnny." Victor said, and pulled whatever he held on to. Johnny crumpled on the ground. When I looked back at Logan, I saw he wasn't there. I was standing alone in the alleyway with Victor and Johnny's body. I shivered. He turned to look at me, cleaning his hands off on Johnny's jacket. "Well hello, Beautiful."

"You stay away from me, Victor." I stammered, taking a step back.

"I see Jimmy stitched you up good. You probably should be dead." He said, grinning.

"Fighting over revenge is stupid and childish." I blurted, my fists clenching.

"That split goes up pretty far. Wearing anything under that dress, Sweetheart?" He asked, taking a couple steps closer. I blushed. I wasn't.

"What do you care? Logan would kill you if you touched me again." I said, trying to be brave but my voice shaking. I stood rooted to the spot I stood as Victor took a few steps closer to me.

"We've had this conversation before. Jimmy isn't strong enough to kill me." Victor said smoothly, striding over to where I stood. His hands were around my lower back and traveling up fast. Victor held me close to him as I tried to lean back and squirm out of his strong reach. Suddenly, Victor dropped me. I landed hard on the street, Victor's blood starting to drip from his torso onto my bare chest. I choked down a scream. Three shining blade tips were on my side of Victor's torso, dripping blood.

"Logan." I breathed. The blades disappeared and Victor was tossed aside, hitting the ground hard.

"Get up. Hurry. And run." Logan ordered, panting. I nodded and ran down the alley as fast as my heels would let me. I tripped on something and fell to the ground. I looked out. A pair of very well-dressed legs was in front of me. I looked up. It was the card dealer. I gasped and rolled out of the way as the staff in his hand pointed at me. I screamed as the ground exploded inches from where my vital organs were seconds before. Logan and Victor both looked over. The card dealer engaged Logan in a fight. I scrambled to my feet after removing my shoes and ran towards the bike. When I made it to the bike, I found something unexpected. Victor, standing with his arms folded across his chest, leaning on the bike. I gasped.

"Hey, Sweetheart." He said, grinning. My eyes widened. He stepped over to me and took my hand forcefully. "I just wanted you to know one thing before I skipped town." He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Jimmy can't protect you from me. You can't run forever." Then, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. He kissed me forcefully and deeply, even against my struggling. When he pulled away finally I slapped him hard across the face.

"Get your filthy animal hands off me, Victor." I spat, pushing against his chest. He smiled and kissed my cheek.

"I love it when you say my name, Beautiful." He said, smiling. He pushed me to the ground gently. I hit the pavement lightly, and by the time I stood back up, Victor was gone. Logan was quickly by my side, a couple large gashes on his forehead healing over. And with him was the card dealer.

"Silver, are you alright?" Logan asked, helping me up.

"Silver?" The card dealer asked.

"First rule of being a beautiful single woman. Never tell a stranger your first name." I replied, then I turned to Logan. "Victor's gone. He met me here and…he kissed me and then I slapped him and then he kissed me again—" I continued, getting worked up. "Logan…" I trailed off. He pulled me into his arms. Tears were running down my face. "Logan, he said…'Jimmy can't protect you.' And 'you can't run forever'." I breathed. "Logan…I'm scared." Logan touched my hair and looked at the card dealer.

"We have to get you somewhere safe." The dealer said.

"The safest place is with us. I don't know if I can kill him. But the two of us can keep him at bay long enough to get her somewhere safe if not kill him." Logan replied.


End file.
